Nuclear disarmament. If not now, when?
Leonna O’Neill
Leonna O'Neill, Angus Chalmers and Julia Herzog reflect on being in the right place at the right time.
The Scottish Independence debate has created a situation in which Scotland, where most of us are categorically opposed to nuclear weapons, has the potential to refuse to continue to host the British nuclear weapons system. With a lack, south of the Border, of alternative venues anywhere near as strategically…
Two things are happening right now in relation to the question of whether an independent Scotland should be part of the nuclear-armed North Atlantic Treaty organisation (NATO).
It is obvious that within the Scottish National Party the defence spokesperson Angus Robertson is being allowed or encouraged by the leadership to promote a switch to a pro-NATO policy.
He has been publicly floating the idea for some weeks now and has not been slapped down by others in the leadership.…
In December 2011, South Lanarkshire council approved Scottish Coal’s proposal for a huge open-cast coal mine near the village of Glespin.
This was the nineteenth open-cast-related consent they had given, but they took this particular decision with no consultation whatsoever. Indeed the community were not even informed about it at the time.
Residents have an ongoing…
In May, I joined with 580 civil society delegates to take part in a ‘Mexican wave’ of briefings and side events at the preparatory committee for the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference (NPT PrepCom) in Vienna.
On the eve of the wave, 150 of us met at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) campaigners’ meeting to exchange our experiences and consider priorities.
The anti-nuclear physicians (IPPN) presented a new ‘nuclear famine’ report highlighting…
Faslane Peace Campers are happy to announce that the 30 Days of Action, from 9 June to 9 July, will be filled with anti-nuclear shenanigans of the highest order.
Of the things we can disclose: there will be a CND peace picnic on 17 June; a peace march from Glasgow to Faslane from 21-23 of June; and on 1-2 July there will be a two-day Rise Up musical gathering – everyone is welcome and…
These are the findings of a new report, Don’t Bank on the Bomb, the first to survey global investments in nuclear weapons producers. More than 300 financial institutions, including RBS, fund companies that build nuclear warheads or the missiles, bombers and submarines used to deliver them.
Co-author Tim Wright, from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which conducted the research, said: ‘RBS…
Their destination was the West Bank in occupied Palestine, where they planned to take part in a cultural project including the building of a school and repairing wells damaged by settlers.
Travellers to the occupied territories are forced to lie in order to pass through Israel, otherwise they are subjected to interrogation, detention and deportation. The ‘Welcome to Palestine’ mass fly-in was endorsed by Desmond Tutu…
Solidarity protest at Red Road flats on 12 April. photo: Duncan Brown
The asylum seekers have had their claims for asylum refused even though most of their countries are too dangerous to return to. Their home countries include Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia and Zimbabwe.
Some people have received letters saying the locks on their doors would be changed in the next two weeks.
…
Edinburgh Campaign Against Poverty blockade Tesco on 3 March, a national day of action against workfare. They also met with the manager of a British Heart Foundation shop to complain about the treatment of unemployed people on so-called work experience placements organised by A4E. photo: Mike, ECAP
During our weekly vigil at Faslane, a quiet discussion arose about doing an action at the army recruitment offices in Glasgow to highlight the dishonest propaganda used to persuade young people to to join the army. The offices are on a busy central bus route so we decided to act during the morning rush hour.
We made plans to spray paint the windows, hand out fliers and lock on to delay our arrest. Having never incurred a vandalism charge, I had reservations about what I was about…
The Douglas Valley hosted the Earth First! Winter Moot at the end of February. People from across Scotland and the UK piled into the Glespin community hall to strategise, debate and plan.
Two events highlighted the importance of centring things like Earth First! gatherings in areas of community struggle.
On the Saturday, people from the local community shared their experiences of living next to opencast mines.
The anger and passion was both chilling and…
Accomplice Janet Fenton, who is secretary of Scottish CND, was given 120 hours community service.
In 2010, the women had appeared at the court accused of a breach of the peace during a blockade of Faslane naval base.
During their trial, the pair were barred from arguing the case that they had a right to disrupt the illegal work at Faslane under international humanitarian law. In response they painted slogans indicating the failure of the court to uphold international…
On 23 March, the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), a thinktank based in Washington DC and London, issued a report claiming that cancelling the replacement for Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, would save the UK £83.5bn over the next 50 years.
According to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), just the £25bn cost of constructing the replacement nuclear submarines could pay for: the training of 120,000 nurses or 60,000 teachers; a £2,500 bonus for…
Scottish CND’s new report investigates where Trident might go if it couldn’t be in Scotland and concludes that there are no viable options. The hope is that this will boost the prospects for ridding the world of nuclear weapons, though, of course, the politics of any deal on Scottish independence would also have an impact.
Scottish CND’s latest statement on the independence referendum states: ‘We want to ban the bomb in Scotland and in Britain and beyond. We are delighted that the…
Faslane Peace Campers are announcing 30 Days of Nonviolent Direct Action against nuclear weapons at the Faslane naval base to mark the 30th birthday of the peace camp and the ongoing travesty of nuclear weapons. The actions will commence on Saturday 9 June 2012 and continue until 9 July.
Ready for action!
Over the last year a small group of us have been endeavouring to make the peace camp a healthy and happy place to facilitate direct action against Trident We are ready for…
